Philadelphia Phillies Notebook: There is still room for improvement

PHILADELPHIA — The good news for the Phillies is that they still have about three-quarters of their season remaining.

Take a guess at what that meant about the first quarter.

“It’s still somewhat early,” Ryan Howard said. “We haven’t started to play the kind of ball that we’re really capable of, but there is still room for us to be able to improve, to get there.

“I think every team kind of goes through these types of situations throughout the season because it’s a long season. I wouldn’t even say we’ve played lukewarm baseball. I mean, we’ve started to play better. That started in the San Francisco series, and in the last couple of games in Arizona when we were able to come back.”

Advertisement

The Phils would run a winning streak to three with a victory over Cleveland, but a 10-4 loss to the Indians Wednesday dumped them to 19-22.

“Games like that happen,” Howard said. “We just have to continue to try to stick it out.”

That long has been Charlie Manuel’s position, that it’s best to think long-term, not to draw conclusions after 41 games.

“For some reason we seem to win a couple, get within one or two games of .500, then all of the sudden we fall back three, four, five,” the manager said. “Then we win a couple more, and we’re yo-yoing back and forth. We definitely need to put a streak together, play sound baseball and run off a 6-to-10 game winning streak.”

Wouldn’t hurt.

“We’ve got room for growth,” Howard said. “We’ve got room to continue to get better. Once we get to that point where we’re starting to get things clicking and things falling our way, it’s going to be very good.”

•••

The Phillies were off Thursday, allowing them to participate in the annual Phillies Phestival at Citizens Bank Park, a charity event to help defeat ALS.

“It’s always good,” Howard said. “I think the Phillies do a good job with the Phestival. We as the players just try to go and help any way we can, and try to contribute and give back the best way we can by giving up some of our time to be able to help. And by being able to go down and meet some of the recipients of what it is that we go out there and do, it is a very special, great feeling.”

Howard had plans to provide a Phestival hitting clinic.

“Should be interesting,” he said.

•••

Chad Durbin is in his 14th major league season. He is not going to panic, just because it has started slowly.

“Twelve games, is that all I have pitched in this year?” he said, almost surprised that it has been that few. “It is what it is. I am better when I pitch a lot. But when you are bad, you are not going to pitch a lot. So that’s kind of the nature of the beast. You wait until you get your turn and then you get after it.”

In 12-plus innings, the veteran right-hander Durbin has a 7.30 ERA.

•••

Jeremy Horst is 0-1 with a 5.29 ERA. Durbin and Justin De Fratus, to name two, are among teammates insisting the left-hander has had some bum baseball luck.

“He’s going to get it straightened out,” De Fratus said. “You saw what he did last year, and in the games that I saw him throw this year, he wasn’t getting crushed by any means. It seemed every break that could go against him did --- broken-bats here, little dribblers for infield hits there. That’s just the way the cards fall in this game.”

In 32 games last season, Horst was 2-0 with a 1.15 ERA.

“When you have such an incredible season like he did last year, baseball tends to even things out,” De Fratus said. “It just seems like baseball has been doing that to him.”

•••

NOTES: The Cincinnati Reds will open a three-game series at Citizens Bank Park Friday at 7:05. Cliff Lee (4-2, 2.86) will oppose left-hander Tony Cingrani (2-0, 2.89). “We have to get better,” Chase Utley said, “starting (Friday).” … Kyle Kendrick (4-1, 2.47) and right-handed Bronson Arroyo (3-4., 3.76) will pitch Saturday at 4:05. Sunday at 1:35, it will be Jonathan Pettibone (3-0, 3.63) and right-handed Homer Bailey (1-3, 3.83) … Manuel is resisting counting on Mike Adams, who is experiencing back spasms. “We have to go day to day with that and we’ll see,” the manager said ... Jonathan Papelbon has not allowed a run in his last 15.2 innings … John Lannan, on the disabled list with a strained quad and knee tendon, is scheduled to throw a bullpen session in Clearwater next week, according to assistant general manager Scott Proefrock.